MASCOT PROFILE

Coby T Tiger

SUNY Cobleskill

Where are you from?
My name is Coby T. Tiger and I am the Mascot for the Department of Sport & Exercise at SUNY Cobleskill. (I originally hail from Detroit, Michigan. AKA: Tiger Town.)

How many teams do you represent?
Currently I represent 19 intercollegiate athletic teams while serving as a quasi-member of our intercollegiate cheerleading team.

How were you chosen to be school mascot?
From what I can gather it was a very political process dating back to the late 1970’s. It seems the college administration wanted to replace their previous mascot (The Aggie.) with something that better represented the comprehensive nature of the institution. Well New York being New York there were a number of meetings and forums and eventually the Student Government conducted an election. Options were selected and put on a ballot and I was elected to the position by an overwhelming majority. The Aggie subsequently disappeared and was never heard or seen again.

Do you have any friends that are mascots?
Heavens no, you might as well ask if Richard Sherman hangs out with Michael Crabtree!! The mascot business is extremely competitive and often comparative so the last people I want to hang with in my free time are mascots. My friends come from the worlds of: entertainment, politics, business, sports, and of course activism.

What is your favorite campus event?
I enjoy homecoming because it allows me to catch-up with our alums and see how their packs are growing. There is nothing better than when the Alumni bring their cubs back to campus and we catch-up.

What do you consider the ideal fan?
The ideal fan is someone who is a supporter of the team through good times and bad times being supportive of their players and coaches regardless of the game’s outcome. The ideal fan will cheer against the opposition in an appropriate manor while not becoming too vulgar or too crass. The ideal fan will vociferously boo officials whenever necessary and appropriate. And of course the ideal fan must also be an exceptional dancer as I like to boogie!!!!

What’s it like to be a mascot?
You know being in the public eye constantly can be very tough and it takes its toll over time, but that’s the nature of the business. If I may paraphrase a quote from my good personal friend Bono, “Being a Mascot, I have two instincts, I want to have fun and I want to change the world. I have a chance to do both.” When you look at the Mascot world from this perspective I think it makes it all worth it in the end.

What do you like to do for fun?
Look, Tigers like to play golf!!! Why do you think that Woods kid is nicknamed Tiger? I also occasionally like to visit some old friends who are now living in India and Siberia and we go tourist stalking. Beyond that I enjoy music and I just love following Katy Perry on tour. Roar is an awesome song.

What is your favorite Broadway play?
A number of years ago I saw the great Robin Williams in a production entitled: "Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo". It was a black comedy about the Iraqi War circa 2003 with Williams playing a tiger and the ghost of a tiger.

What is your favorite New York State destination?
I enjoy visiting the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Gardens. It is always nice to see some old friends and stalk in the high foliage on a warm summer’s day. They are also close to the Edgar Allen Poe Cottage so I can visit on the way back upstate.